To investigate the occurrence of traumatic stress symptoms (TSS) among healthcare workers active during the COVID-19 pandemic and to obtain insight as to which pandemic-related stressful experiences are associated with onset and persistence of traumatic stress.

This is a multicenter prospective cohort study. Spanish healthcare workers (N = 4,809) participated at an initial assessment (i.e., just after the first wave of the Spain COVID-19 pandemic) and at a 4-month follow-up assessment using web-based surveys. Logistic regression investigated associations of 19 pandemic-related stressful experiences across four domains (infection-related, work-related, health-related and financial) with TSS prevalence, incidence and persistence, including simulations of population attributable risk proportions (PARP).

Thirty-day TSS prevalence at T1 was 22.1%. Four-month incidence and persistence were 11.6% and 54.2%, respectively. Auxiliary nurses had highest rates of TSS prevalence (35.1%) and incidence (16.1%). All 19 pandemic-related stressful experiences under study were associated with TSS prevalence or incidence, especially experiences from the domains of health-related (PARP range 88.4–95.6%) and work-related stressful experiences (PARP range 76.8–86.5%). Nine stressful experiences were also associated with TSS persistence, of which having patient(s) in care who died from COVID-19 had the strongest association. This association remained significant after adjusting for co-occurring depression and anxiety.

TSSs among Spanish healthcare workers active during the COVID-19 pandemic are common and associated with various pandemic-related stressful experiences. Future research should investigate if these stressful experiences represent truly traumatic experiences and carry risk for the development of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) has been associated with negative outcomes in psychosis; however, few studies have focused on the duration of active psychotic symptoms after commencing treatment (DAT). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of DUP and DAT on functional long-term outcomes (3 years) in patients with early psychosis.

We evaluated the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS) at frequent intervals for 3 years after presentation to determine the DAT for 307 individuals with first-episode psychosis together with DUP and clinical variables. The functional outcomes were assessed using the Disability Assessment Scale (DAS) at three years, and functional recovery was defined as minimal impairment and return to activity. Associated variables, DAT and DUP were included in logistic regression models to predict functional outcomes. Receiver operating characteristic curves and Youden’s index were applied to assess the best cut-off values.

DAT, (Wald: 13.974; ExpB: 1.097; p < 0.001), premorbid adjustment, initial BPRS score, gender, age of onset and schizophrenia diagnosis were significant predictors of social functioning, whereas only premorbid adjustment (Wald: 11.383; ExpB:1.009), DAT (Wald: 4.850; ExpB: 1.058; p = 0.028) and education were significant predictors of recovery. The optimal cut-off of DAT for predicting social functioning was 3.17 months for DAT (sensitivity: 0.68; specificity: 0.64; Youden’s index: 0.314).

DAT is strongly related to functional outcomes independent of the DUP period or other variables. As a modifiable variable, the reduction of the DAT should be considered a main focus of intervention from the onset of the illness to improve long-term outcomes.